


I Hate My Birthday

by sonicthehedgehoglover2



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Flashbacks, Platonic Relationships, Shadow is a hater, Shadow is kind of nice for once, of his birthday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-07-25 23:00:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20033761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonicthehedgehoglover2/pseuds/sonicthehedgehoglover2
Summary: "I thought you were never going to wake up, birthday boy.""Don't call me that, Rouge." Mumbled Shadow, grabbing the extra cup of coffee that was sitting on the counter."Call you what, birthday boy?" Asked Rouge, innocently.Shadow scowled at her. "That. You know I don't like my birthday."Rouge sighed. "Come on, Shadow. It's the day you were born. Or made? Whatever it is, it's important or else you wouldn't be here.""Oh, yes. To think, how devastating it would if I wasn't here, living with a sly bat who tried to steal a twenty-dollar bill out of my wallet and seeing her friends who don't know the definition of 'knocking'."





	I Hate My Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> Shadow has never been that big of a fan of his birthday and, the truth be told, it's just a cruel reminder of the fact that the person who first gave him a birthday, is no longer here.

Shadow laid out in the middle of his bed with both his arms and legs spread out, his stare directed at the ceiling above him. His eyes studied the numerous cracks, stains, and grooves in the gray ceiling, the sunlight that peeked out of the draped window allowing him to see them with ease.

* * *

_"Do you see it?"_

_Shadow stared up at the ceiling from where he laid on the soft bed, his eyes studying the little glowing plastic stars that were stuck to it. No matter how long he stared at it, he couldn't figure out what Maria was talking about. Turning his head to the right, he glanced at the young blond-headed girl who laid beside him on the bed, wearing only a long white t-shirt that reached past her knees._

_"I only see a bunch of weird stars."_

_"They're not weird!" Exclaimed Maria, turning her head to frown at him. "They're beautiful."_

_Shadow snorted. "Yeah. A bunch of glowing green plastic stars is the most beautiful thing in the universe."_

_Maria whacked him on the arm. "Oh, hush up, you! I'm not talking about how the stars look. I'm talking about how they're arranged to make up constellations."_

_"Constellations? What are those?"_

_"Constellations are a group of stars that make up a picture in the sky."_

_"Really?"Shadow turned his gaze back towards the ceiling, squinting his eyes at the stars. When couldn't find any kind of picture, he frowned."I don't see anything!"_

_Maria snickered at the whine in his voice, but, instead of making fun of him for it, she grabbed his hand, letting him know that she wanted his full attention, searched the ceiling and then pointed out a constellation._

_"There."Her finger pointed towards a cluster of stars."That's the Big Dipper."_

_Shadow searched the ceiling."What? Where?"_

_"Okay, look. Follow my finger."_

_Shadow nodded, watching her finger as it moved across the ceiling, pointing at one star after another. After a while, a picture began to develop in front of Shadow's eyes, making him smile._

_Noticing the smile, Maria lowered her arm."Do you see it now?"_

_"Yeah!"Shadow suddenly raised an eye-ridge."Why does it look like a giant frying pan?"_

_Maria laughed, placing a hand over her mouth in an attempt to quiet down. Not understanding what was so funny, Shadow looked towards her in confusion._

_"What? What did I say that was so funny?!"_

_Maria didn't answer. Not that she could anyway. She was laughing so hard that if she wasn't gripping Shadow's hand, she would've slid off the bed._

_"Maria?"_

_That got her to quiet down._

_Both she and Shadow stared at each other, their eyes widening._

_"Grandfather!"Maria mouthed."Quick! Get underneath the covers!"_

_Scurrying off the bed, both of them pulled at the bright yellow covers and jumped underneath them. They closed their eyes just in time as the door slid open, revealing Maria's grandfather. Slightly peeking through his eyelids, Shadow studied Maria's grandfather as he smiled at them. Shadow could only imagine how they must look at the moment._

_After staring at them for a few minutes, Maria's grandfather eventually left the room. Waiting for a few minutes, both Shadow and Maria opened their eyes and let out a breath of relief._

_"So..."Shadow turned to Maria, who had a growing smile on her face, "want to look for the Shadow constellation?"_

_"The Shadow constellation?"_

_"Yeah."Maria wiggled out from underneath the covers."It's a constellation that looks like a certain grumpy hedgehog."_

_It took about five minutes for Shadow to realize who she was talking about. But when he did, he smirked at her."Deal. As long as I get to show you the Maria constellation."_

_"The Maria constellation?"Maria leaned against her pillow, a knowing smile on her face."What's that?"_

_"It's this constellation of this certain young girl making a silly_ _face."_

_It was then that Shadow attempted to copy that silly face, causing Maria to giggle._

_"Ok, ok! Deal!"_

_Shadow smiled and leaned back alongside Maria, watching as she pointed out the Shadow constellation._

_He couldn't wait to show her the Maria constellation._

* * *

Shadow groaned underneath his breath, his ungloved hands reaching for his pillow. When he got a good grip on it, he then slammed it onto his face, just barely ignoring the feeling to scream into the soft material. After deciding not to suffocate himself, he pulled the pillow away and allowed it to drop off the side of the bed.

He laid there for about five minutes, thinking about whether or not he should spend the day in bed before he got up, the pent up energy that was slowly building up becoming too much for him.

Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, Shadow stood from his bed and headed towards his bathroom door that was located on the other side of the room, ignoring his dark red blanket that was thrown all over the floor. It had found it's placed thereafter Shadow had kicked it off his bed in the middle of the night, cursing underneath his breath about the heat of June.

Gripping the doorknob in his hand, Shadow opened up the door to the bathroom before entering.

* * *

Shadow stood in the middle of the shower as he finished taking off his inhibitor rings. He placed them in the sink that was located just outside the shower before decking back in, closing the shower curtains behind him. He then reached out and twisted the handle labeled '_Hot_'.

After a few seconds, the showerhead above him sprouted out a large stream of hot water right on top of his head. Not even flinching, he continued to stand underneath the water, allowing it to seep into his fur. Turning his head, he located a large bar of soap on a small little holder. Reaching out a hand, he picked up the bar of soap and began to lather himself. As he stood underneath the water once more, he closed his eyes, allowing himself to fully relax.

* * *

_Shadow stood in the middle of a small white room, staring at the objects in there with curiosity. He thought he heard Gerald call the room a... bathroom._

_A smacking sound from the right side of Shadow caused him to turn. Standing near a large oval like object was Maria, a large smile on her face."Ok, Shadow. It's time for your first bath."_

_Shadow tilted his head."A bath?"_

_"Yeah."Maria leaned over the large oval like object and twisted a knob. Water instantly began to pour from the faucet as Maria quickly plugged a cork into the bottom of the oval object. When she did that she turned back to Shadow."It's a process in which you clean your body."She patted the oval object."In this."_

_Shadow studied the oval object."And that is..."_

_Maria giggled."It's a tub, silly!"_

_"Oh..."He made a smug face."I knew that."_

_Maria rolled her eyes."Sure you did."_

_Suddenly, her blue eyes widened before she turned back towards the 'tub' and twisted the handle once again, barely stopping the tub from overflowing. Breathing out a sigh of relief, she then began to roll up her sleeves and dripped her fingers in the water. Satisfied with the temperature, she pulled them out and glanced at Shadow, motioning to the tub._

_"Come on in, Shadow. The water's just right!"_

_Shadow made no move whatsoever to get closer to the tub. He, instead, stood where he was, staring at the tub like it might jump out at him._

_"Shadow?"When the hedgehog didn't even glance at her, she stepped towards to him, concern blossoming in her heart."Are you okay?"_

_Shadow shook his head. Maria reached out a hand and wrapped it around Shadow's, pulling him forward. This finally caused Shadow to show a reaction._

_A negative one._

_Shadow struggled against her grip, attempting to pull away from her. When that didn't work he resorted to clawing at her hands and screaming."NO, NO, NO!"_

_Maria stopped pulling and released him, allowing him to run away. She watched with worry in her eyes as Shadow rushed to the corner of the bathroom, curling up in a little ball on the spot._

_Feeling guilty, Maria shifted her feet a bit before walking over to Shadow. When he was close enough, she then kneeled and poked the small ball, being extra careful of the sharp_ _quills that extended out._

_"Shadow?"Shadow didn't reply which made Maria frown."Come on out. Please. There's nothing to be afraid of."_

_"Promise?"Asked a muffled voice._

_Maria nodded."Cross my heart and hope to die."_

_Shadow sat there in his ball form for about a minute more before he uncurled, staring at Maria with shaky red eyes. She gave him a concerned look and rubbed his arm, attempting to calm him down a bit more._

_"Sorry if I scared you, Shadow."She whispered apologetically."If I knew that you were going to react that way I would've never done it."_

_"I-It's okay, Maria."Shadow stuttered, giving her a small smile."I-I just don't know w-what came over me."_

_Maria sighed."I probably should've asked grandfather before I did this."She reached out a hand for Shadow to grab, which he did."Maybe we should just get to bed."_

_She began to head towards the door when she felt a tug on her hand. Turning her head, Maria stared at Shadow. The hedgehog was looking at her with a look of determination in his red eyes._

_"No."_

_Maria raised an eyebrow."What?"_

_"I gotta face this, Maria."_

_Shadow slipped his fingers from her grasp and headed towards the tub. Before he had entered the bathroom, Maria made him take off his shoes, inhibitor rings, and his gloves, leaving him only in his socks._

_As Shadow approached the tub, with Maria a few steps behind him, she had trouble deciding whether or not she should laugh at the serious expression that was on Shadow's face as the hedgehog took off his socks, his eyes studying the tub as he did so. When he was done, he glanced at the tub one more time before attempting to climb in. Lowering himself into the water, cringing every time he did so, Shadow finally settled, letting out a breath of relief._

_Maria giggled at this as she picked up a bottle of shampoo, squirted a decent amount of it on top of Shadow, who flinched at the cold feeling of it and began to rub it into the hedgehog's fur. Luckily for her, Shadow's quills were relaxed enough that her hands could easily glide over his fur. When she was sure that he was scrubbed enough, she then used the removable faucet to rinse off the soap. But, she stopped when she heard whimpering coming from Shadow. Turning off the water, she stared at Shadow._

_"Is there something wrong, Shadow?"_

_". . ."_

_"Shadow?"_

_What he said next nearly made her fall to the floor in a fit of laughter._

_"Mariaaaa. My chest fur is wet!"_

* * *

Shadow jerked away from the water when he realized that it was no longer a scolding hot but, now, an icy cold. Deciding that he should get out of the shower before a certain bat knocked the door down and complained about the water bill, Shadow washed off the excess soap, turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He then reached for the towel that was located on the rack beside him and wrapped it around his waist.

Shadow barely glanced at his reflection in the mirror before he grabbed his toothbrush and loaded it up with toothpaste. He then stuffed the toothbrush in his mouth and began to brush his teeth.

* * *

_"Is there a reason why I need to do this?"_

_Maria rolled her eyes at Shadow, shoving a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste into his hands. She was dressed up in a long flowing blue nightgown instead of her regular dress. At the moment, both her and Shadow were standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, preparing to brush their teeth._

_Except... Shadow didn't want to brush his teeth._

_"So, your teeth don't rot out, Shadow."_

_"Wait."Shadow tilted his head."They can do that?"_

_Maria facepalmed."Yes, Shadow. But, there is another reason why you need to brush your teeth."_

_"What reason?"Maria opened her mouth to tell him when Shadow interrupted."And don't tell me it's because people want to see my pearly white teeth. Because they don't."_

_Maria snapped her mouth closed and brought a hand up to her chin to think. Then, to Shadow's eyes, a lightbulb appeared over her head."How about the Tooth Fairy?"_

_"The... Tooth Fairy? Sounds like something you just made up."_

_Maria shook her head, a smile on her face."No. It's a story that grandfather once told me."She cleared her throat and made her voice drop down a couple of octaves in an attempt to sound like her grandfather."There's a mythical creature that lives on Earth with long wings as clear as glass and a wand that she can't live without. Her name is the Tooth Fairy. Just like her name suggests, she travels the Earth and takes teeth from children, teens, and even adults-"_

_Shadow held up a hand, a horrified look on his face."Wait a minute! She steals people's teeth?!"_

_Maria laughed at his expression."No, let me finish! Just like her name suggests, the Tooth Fairy travels the Earth and takes teeth from children, teens, and even adults who put them underneath their pillows for her."_

_"Oh. But why would they willingly give up their teeth?"_

_"It's because when a person reaches a certain age their baby teeth fall out to make way for permanent teeth. Then, when that happens, they place it underneath their pillows and hope that the Tooth Fairy will visit them. Besides, "Maria looked in the mirror and studied her teeth, "would you want to keep all your old baby teeth?"_

_Shadow scrunched up his nose."Ew, no. But, what do you get in return for giving up your teeth?"_

_"Oh yeah. That's the best part!"Maria squealed."Whenever the Tooth Fairy comes to collect the teeth she leaves behind gifts!"_

_Shadow smiled."Now, I'm interested. What kind of gifts?"_

_"Well..."Maria tapped her chin."Sometimes she'll leave you money, toys, markers, and-"_

_"Food?!"Asked Shadow, hopefully._

_Maria chuckled."Well, I never asked grandfather, but I'm pretty sure she never left behind food. Though, I'm not surprised you asked that, Shadow."She leaned over and poked the hedgehog in the stomach."You eat a lot for a hedgehog whose hardly three feet tall yet."_

_Shadow smacked away her hand, pouting. Maria saw this and began to laugh. After a few seconds of trying to be angry at her, Shadow also joined in. It wasn't long until their chuckles turned into a full-blown bout of laughter. They probably would've spent the whole 'night' laughing if it wasn't for the fact that Maria's grandfather hadn't opened up the bathroom door and threatened to throw them out if they didn't stop._

_They did stop, but it would've been more threatening if Maria's grandfather wasn't smiling._

* * *

Shadow spat into the sink, the sharp minty taste of the toothpaste burning his mouth. He then rinsed out his toothbrush and placed it back in its proper place. Tightening his grip on the towel wrapped around his waist, he opened up the bathroom door and exited into his room where he began to get dressed.

* * *

Shadow rounded the corner of the hallway, stretching his arms over his head.

"It's about time, birthday boy."

Shadow frowned at the nickname as he stared at his partner and, unfortunately, roommate, Rouge the Bat.

She was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of coffee. At the moment, she was wearing a light blue robe (in June!?) that covered her usual long red nightgown and some white slippers. She placed the cup of coffee down and smirked at the annoyed look that was on Shadow's face.

"I thought you were never going to wake up, birthday boy."

"Don't call me that, Rouge."Mumbled Shadow, grabbing the extra cup of coffee that was sitting on the counter.

"Call you what, birthday boy?"Asked Rouge, innocently.

Shadow scowled at her."That. You know I don't like my birthday."

Rouge sighed."Come on, Shadow. It's a day you were born. Or made? Whatever it is, it's important or else you wouldn't be here."

"Oh, yes. To think, how devastating it would if I wasn't here, living with a sly bat who tried to steal a twenty-dollar bill out of my wallet and seeing her friends who don't know the definition of 'knocking'."

"Hey!"Rouge narrowed her eyes at him."I needed that twenty-dollar bill for something very important!"Shadow rolled his eyes. Knowing her, the 'something very important' would most likely be a debt she owed to someone or she just wanted to buy a new outfit."Anyway, the others are your friends too, Shadow. And I'm pretty sure that they know the definition of 'knocking'."

"Really? Just last week, Rose practically used her hammer to knock down the door _just_ to shopping with you."

"Hey," she wagged a finger at him, "don't judge a girl just because she loves to shop."

"I try not to. But, my empty wallet says otherwise."

Rouge stuck her tongue out at him. Instead of saying anything, Shadow rolled his eyes at her immaturity and, after placing his coffee on the counter, headed towards the fridge. Once he stood in front of it, he then swung it open, stared at its contents, and pulled out a carton of eggs.

"You know, birthday boy."Shadow's ears twitched at the sound of a chair scraping the floor behind him."If you give me a little _something _I could easily make you a nice birthday breakfast."

Shadow pulled a skillet off the wall and, with his back still turned, shook his head."No thanks."

He could feel Rouge deflate."W-Why?"

"Because," he turned his head to her, a knowing look on his face," knowing you, the 'little something' would be my twenty-dollar bill."

"Nooo..."Rouge sipped her coffee and looked away from Shadow.

Shadow shook his head and turned back to what he was doing. Placing the skillet on the stove, he then reached over, grabbed a bottle of oil, and poured some of it into the skillet. Putting it away, Shadow turned on the stove, allowing the skillet to heat up before pulling out a couple of eggs out of the open carton next to him. He then cracked them alongside the stove before pouring its insides into the skillet, making the oil boil and pop. Using a spatula that he pulled from one of the drawers, he stirred the insides of the eggs, watching the oil around it fizzle.

* * *

_A door slid open, it's sound slicing through the night like a knight. It was then that Shadow popped his head into the room, nervously staring at the figure who laid within._

_Maria was fast asleep in her bed, her yellow flowered covered blanket pulled up to her neck. Her soft blond was scattered around her face, nearly covering its pale color. Even from where Shadow stood, he could hear her rough breathing. Barely containing the feeling to jump into the bed near Maria and allow her to mess with his quills like he always does when she's usually sick, Shadow then closed the door._

_Outside in the hallway, Shadow sighed._

_'Gerald wasn't kidding when he said that Maria was sick. But, he also said that I was supposed to be able to make her feel BETTER!' Shadow slammed his fist into the metal wall. When he withdrew his fist, there was a noticeable dent in the wall. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, and hoping that no one would notice the dent, Shadow continued down the corridor, thinking.'Ok, being angry isn't going to help Maria feel better. Instead, I need to find something else that'll make her smile. But what?'_

_Shadow paused in front of a doorway when he heard a 'clang' come from inside. Looking inside, Shadow discovered a lone scientist finishing up a sandwich. When she was done, she then picked up the sandwich and headed towards him. Smiling, she waved at him when she noticed him standing there._

_"Hello, Project Shadow."_

_It took all his willpower not to shake his head at the name all the scientists continue to call him."Hi, Laura."_

_She slid past him and walked down the way he just came from. Hoping she wouldn't notice the dent in the wall, Shadow scurried into the... kitchen area, was it? Shadow looked at all the metal tables, pots, pans, sinks, cupboards, the stove, and the fridge. His eyes brightened as an idea made itself known inside his head._

_He could make breakfast for Maria!_

_He glanced up at the clock that hung above the fridge. It was only about 10:48 in the morning and Gerald would be waking Maria in twelve minutes for her daily medicine. Hopefully, that twelve minutes would be enough for him._

_Shadow raced over to the fridge, opened it up, and began to pull out various objects. After getting all that he needed, he then closed the fridge and tossed the objects on the counter. Among the objects was a carton of eggs, which he picked up and pulled out two eggs._

_Shadow put his free hand to his chin.' Now, how did I see Maria make breakfast that one time? Oh, yeah.' Shadow stood on his tippy-toes and reached for the oil that was propped up on the bottom shelf of one of the open cupboards. Carefully picking it up, he then pulled it towards him. He studied the label.' This should be it.' After placing the bottle of oil on the counter, Shadow grabbed the skillet that was hanging on the wall and placed it on the stove. Turning the stove on, he then poured the oil into the skillet, his ears perking up when he heard the popping sound that followed after. Grabbing the carton of eggs, he picked out two and, as he once watched Maria do, cracked them on the counter before dripping their insides into the skillet._

_Shadow smiled in triumph."There we go!_"

_Listening to the crackle and pop of the eggs, Shadow then leaned over to grab the spatula that was hanging on the wall, only to turn over the open bottle of oil which caused the oil to spill onto the metal floor. Shadow quickly picked up the bottle, placed the cap on it, and looked at the mess of oil with a frown on his face._

_"Nice going, Ultimate Lifeform."Mumbled Shadow, stepping away from the stove to grab a rag._

_After running the rag under faucet he then kneeled before wiping up the oil, making a face when the some of the oil sank through his gloves. When he was finished, Shadow threw the soaked rag into the sink and stood up, shaking his gloves in frustration._

_"There, now that I cleaned that up, I better make sure that those eggs don't-"_

_"SHA_DOW!"

* * *

Shadow blinked, the smell of burning eggs instantly hitting his nose. He was dimly aware of Rouge snatching the skillet out of his hands and rushed towards the sink. It was when he heard a thunking sound and water running that he finally snapped out of his daze, turning his head to watch Rouge as she waved her hand over the now smoking skillet. Sighing, she gave up on the skillet and instead focused her attention on Shadow, her teal eyes darkening.

"What the heck was that, Shadow!?"She inquired, glaring at him."You could've burned my kitchen down!"

Shadow just stared at the smoking skillet, silent. He was forced to look her when she suddenly stomped towards him, grabbed a fistful of his chest fur, pulled him down to her level, and stared into his deep red eyes.

"Answer me, Shadow! What is wrong with you?!"

Shadow sighed, avoiding her gaze."Nothing, Rouge. "He peeled her fingers off of his chest fur."Sorry about nearly burning down the kitchen."

Rouge froze, her eyes widening at Shadow's apology. She quickly snapped out of it when she noticed Shadow exiting the kitchen."Where are you going?"

"On a run."

Before Rouge could say anything about that, Shadow had already disappeared from her view and, telling from the slam she heard in the living room, he had left the apartment.

Sighing, Rouge shook her head, turning to stare at the ruined skillet. Perking her ears to make sure that Shadow left, she then gripped her robe before pulling it off, revealing her jumpsuit underneath. Rushing out of the kitchen, she tossed the robe on a chair, grabbed a notepad and a pencil off of the table, and began to write a note. After she finished, Rouge tore the note off the notepad and headed towards the front door. Twisting the lock, she then pulled up the door, stuck the note to the front of it, and shut it. Looking down the right at the hallway that Shadow headed only moments ago, Rouge sighed.

"Why can't you keep your head just below the clouds, Shadow?"

And with that Rouge headed down the left hallway, hoping to avoid Shadow on the way down.

* * *

Shadow jogged down the sidewalk, skillfully dodging those who were going the opposite way. Above him, somewhere in the mixture of dark gray clouds, was a distant rumble of thunder, signaling that it wasn't long until it would begin to rain.

* * *

_He ran down the corridor of the Ark and twisted around the corner, narrowly missing the laser that struck the wall where he once was. Catching his breath, he then peeked around the corner, studying the foe he was up against._

_The foe was a large red and blue metallic robot with bulky arms and legs, a tiny head, and a wide chest._

_It was about three feet tall which was a few inches taller than he was._

_The most threatening thing about the robot was the fact that its chest and arms could shoot out missiles, lasers, and bombs. When the robot noticed that he was staring at him, it responded by shooting a bomb. He drew his head back in just in time as the bomb whizzed past him and collided with the back wall, causing a huge explosion to occur._

_As smoke clouded the corridor, the robot marched forward, scanning the area for any organic life forms. When it didn't detect anything, it turned around, thinking that its mission was complete._

_It was then that something slammed into the back of the robot, making it stumble forward. Twisting its head around, the robot searched the area only to have something slice off its a dormant arm. The robot let out a high pitched whine and began to shoot out missiles in random directions, a sign of desperation. Unfortunately for the robot, all its missiles were shot back at it. With a loud '**BOOM!**' an explosion took place, submerging the robot in the middle of it. When it was over, pieces of metal rained down._

_He stood a few feet away, staring at the black mark, proving that the robot had been destroyed. He then glanced up at the large glass windows that were at the end of the corridor where a bunch of scientist in white lab coats stood, clapping._

_"Congratulations Shadow."Spoke a deep voice over the intercom."You have completed the simulator in under 2 minutes. A new personal record."_

_Shadow smiled, fist-pumping the air in excitement. As he celebrated, the corridor around him disappeared, revealing the real room which was a dull gray with white tiled floors. On the other side of the room, a green door appeared. Heading towards the door, he then opened it up. Entering, he was bombarded by the group of scientist, who instantly began to ask him a thousand questions._

_"Hey!"Shouted a soft feminine voice, causing the scientists to quiet down."Give him some room!"_

_The scientists quickly complied to the command, parting to allow a young blond girl through. As soon as the young girl, who looked to be about thirteen, saw him, she rushed towards him. When she was close enough, she threw her arms around him, encasing him in a tight hug as she giggled in his ear._

_"You did it, Shadow! I told you that was going to break your record!"_

_"You sure did, Maria."Said Shadow, laughing._

_She suddenly pulled away from him and looked into his deep red eyes, her own bright blue eyes showing joy which went nicely with her large smile._

_"This calls for a celebration!"She exclaimed, releasing him, grabbing his hand and pulling him along."We have to ask grandfather if you can have some ice cream!"_

_"Cool!"Shadow smiled at her idea before a look of confusion crossed his face."What's ice cream?"_

* * *

"Excuse me?"

Shadow felt a tug on his right arm as he stared down at a young black female bear who couldn't have been older than 7. She was dressed up in a white leotard with a heart on it, a bright pink tutu, and no shoes. On top of her head, she had a pink bow tied into her short brown hair. At the moment, she looked up at him, shyly, clenching a purple notepad and a pen in her hands.

"Are you Mr. Shadow the Hedgehog?"

He nodded.

She smiled, her dark blue eyes shining."You're one of my favorite heroes!"She held up her purple notepad and pen."Can you sign this, please?"

* * *

_Maria smiled at Shadow, holding out a piece of paper and a pen."Super Shadow! I'm your biggest fan! Can you please sign this?!"_

_Shadow glanced at Maria, studying her outfit. She was wearing a ridiculously long brown overcoat, a floppy hat, and sunglasses. Shadow, himself, was wearing a large pair of sunglasses, which had a wire tied to the ends of it and around his head, and a long red cape, which was a towel from the bathroom._

_It's been a few months since Maria and Shadow first met and instantly became best friends. Ever since then, Maria's been teaching Shadow things about everyday life. But as the days grew into weeks and weeks into months, there's been only one word that fully stuck to Shadow's brain._

_Boredom._

_Luckily, though, today they were saved from boredom when Maria's grandfather helped Maria introduce another thing that Shadow never heard of before._

_Cartoons._

_When Maria's grandfather had found both Shadow and Maria lying on Maria's bed, staring up at the ceiling with dull eyes, he took them to one of the old closets on the Ark and discovered an old collection of 'VCR's. Taking the VCR's, Maria's grandfather then hooked up one of the old TVs in the Ark, which wasn't used much because there wasn't much signal up in the Ark, to be able to show what was on the VCR's._

_It wasn't a complete surprise that after watching one VCR, which was about a superhero that went around the world, fighting evil at every turn, Maria suddenly had the idea that they should play a game where Shadow was 'Super Shadow the Ultimate Hero'._

_'But,' Shadow smiled, taking the paper and pen out of Maria's hands,' sometimes I wonder whether Maria does all this just to make fun of my bad handwriting.'_

* * *

"Mr. Shadow?"

The little girl was staring at Shadow with a curious expression, seeming slightly unsure whether or not she should lower her notepad and pen. Shadow looked at the little girl for a while before allowing a small smile to cross over his face as he took her notepad and pen.

"Sure I'll sign your notepad."

When he was finished, he handed back the notepad and pen. This caused the little girl to squeal as she hugged the notepad.

"Thank you, Mr. Shadow!"

She then ran off towards a larger bear who was standing by the entrance to a coffee shop, waving her notepad in the air. Shadow watched as the little girl practically skipped into the coffee shop, the smile on his face growing.

* * *

Shadow twisted the doorknob to the apartment, frowning when it seemed to be locked.

"I didn't think Rouge would lock me out."

Turning his head, it was then that Shadow discovered the note that stuck to the door. Taking it off the door, Shadow then studied the note.

* * *

_Shadow squinted at the note that was stuck to Maria's door._

_ **'Dear Shadow,** _

** _If you're wondering where I'm at, I'm on our favorite observing deck. I have a big surprise for you!_ **

_ **Sincerely, Maria.'** _

* * *

**_'_Dear Handsome,**

**Big Blue and the others called to ask us to help them with an important job over at the little Fox-boy's workshop.**

**Before you decline, they offer to give us one of their Chaos Emeralds. Specifically, that fourth Chaos emerald you have an obsession over.**

**You better hurry before the offer's off the table.'**

Shadow looked the note over once more before discarding it on the ground. He then turned and rushed down the hallway.

* * *

_Shadow walked down the corridor towards the Observation Deck. When he turned around the corner, he was surprised when Maria suddenly jumped out, gripping a black bandana in her hand._

_"Woah!"Exclaimed Shadow, nearly stumbling to the ground._

_"Hey, Shadow! Sorry about scaring you."Apologized Maria, giving him a sheepish smile."I just wanted to show you something real quick."_

_"But, "Shadow tilted his head, "I thought you wanted me to come to our favorite observing deck?"_

_"Yeah.. I do, but first I want you to put this on over your eyes."Maria held up the bandana up._

_"Why...?"Asked Shadow, wary._

_"Just put it on."_

_Shadow stared at the bandana for a few seconds before he grabbed it from Maria. With her help, he managed to tie it around his head, over his eyes. He felt Maria grab one of his hands before she began to lead him somewhere._

_"Maria? Where are we going?"_

_He heard her giggle."To the Observation Deck, of course!"_

_"Then why am I wearing this bandana over my eyes?"_

_"You'll find out in a minute, Shadow. Just be patient."_

* * *

Shadow stood in front of Tails' workshop in Mystic Ruins, confused. He heard no sound coming from inside the the workshop, making him feel, surprisingly, concerned.

Shadow frowned._'Unless it's a prank and the Faker thought it would be extremely funny. Or..'_he studied the workshop,_'something's wrong.'_

He approached the front door, turned the doorknob, and entered the workshop, noting how dark it seemed inside. Running his hand alongside one of the walls, Shadow managed to find a light switch before flicking it on.

"Sur_prise!"_

* * *

_Shadow had to blink a couple times after Maria suddenly pulled the bandana away, exposing him to the harsh light. But, after he was able to see properly again, he got the surprise of his life._

_The Observation Deck was covered in long colorful paper, balloons, and a banner which read '**Happy Birthday, Shadow!**' Below the banner was something that he remembered was called a cake._

_Maria jumped into his view."Happy Birth_day, Shadow!"

* * *

Shadow stared through all the confetti that seemed to have fallen from nowhere with his mouth opened up in shock. All of his 'so-called' friends were standing underneath a huge banner that was hung up in the middle of Tails' workshop.

"U-uh..."

Rouge walked away from the others towards Shadow, her hand coming up to close his mouth."You better close this up, birthday boy."

Shadow whacked her hand away."You did this, didn't you?"

"Nope."Shadow gave her a look of disbelief."Your friends did."

"My... friends?"

* * *

_Shadow sobbed quietly into his pillow, hiccuping every now and then._

_He hardly noticed the sound of the door sliding up, but he did notice when the end of his bed suddenly dipped, signifying that someone was near. He stiffened in fear that it was Gerald, coming to criticize him for being such a weakling. That was before a soft hand started to rub the secret spot between his back quills._

_"Shadow. Please look at me."_

_"No."_

_Maria sighed."Shadow, we both knew that this was going to happen one day."_

_"You probably did! But I didn't!"_

_"Shadow..."_

_Shadow pulled his head out of his pillow, revealing his teary eyes."You said we would be best friends forever!"_

_"Shadow,"Maria leaned in to hug him, ignoring his weak struggles against it,"my grandfather used Black Doom's DNA to make you immortal, not human or animal."_

_Shadow continued to wiggle."Then why couldn't he do the same thing to you?"_

_"Oh, Shadow. I wasn't made like you. Besides, if my grandfather tried to mix my DNA something could go wrong."_

_"But, m-maybe he could-"_

_"Shadow, he attempted to do something that would mess with my DNA he might end up making my condition worse."_

_That finally got Shadow stop moving. Instead, he continued to cry, allowing Maria to mess with his quills._

_"You know, Shadow."She felt one of his ears twitch, signaling he was listening,"even if we won't technically be friends forever, we can still be friends until that day. Where we'll be on Earth, enjoying the sunshine, the grass, and the flowers. And besides, maybe one day you'll find a friend or two who'll care for you as much as I do."_

_Shadow sniffled."Maybe."_

_Maria smiled."Or how about _ _definitely?"_

* * *

"Handsome?"Shadow was aware of a gloved hand, waving in front of his face."You there?"

Shadow grabbed Rouge's hand and lowered it away from his face."I'm here, Rouge."

"Great."She smiled, grabbing his hand."Then, it's time for you to actually enjoy your birthday for a change."

Instead of struggling against her grip, Shadow allowed Rouge to drag him towards the others.

She's right.

Maybe, it _was_ time for him to enjoy his birthday.


End file.
